KUALA LUMPUR – Former badminton internationals Datuk James Selvaraj, Datuk Rashid Sidek and Kwan Yoke Meng believe it is time for national athletes to step aside from competing in the Malaysia Games (Sukma).
Although these players may meet the age requirement of being under 21, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) should take a firm stance and prevent their participation in the biennial event.
Instead, state associations should focus on nurturing younger, emerging talents for their squads.
Speaking to Scoop today, James and Rashid acknowledged that this issue has become a recurring topic, often debated in the lead-up to and during the Games.
“To understand the purpose of Sukma, we need to go back to the first Sukma in 1986 and consider its key objectives.
“If the aim is to discover young new talents, then why are national players, who already compete in events like the Thomas Cup or higher World Tour tournaments, participating in Sukma?
“How can we expect younger players from the states to shine? Just imagine being excited to compete and perform well, only to face someone like Justin Hoh in the first round.
“My suggestion is simple – national shuttlers should participate in state open championships and the national championships, but Sukma should be reserved for state players only,” said James, who served as BAM’s high-performance director from 2010 to 2012.
Rashid, who has never competed in Sukma, fully agreed with James but said he believes the issue may be more complex.
“The problem is that every state wants to win gold because their funding depends on it. If they don’t perform well, their budget gets cut. So, it’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation.
“However, I completely agree with James. National players, regardless of age, should not compete in Sukma,” said Rashid, who was not yet 18 when he played in his first Thomas Cup in 1986.
Meanwhile, Kwan Yoke Meng, the first men’s singles champion in Sukma said that the National Sports Council, as the main organisers, should adhere to the Games’ original objectives.
“I was already a national player when I won Sukma in 1986. I was 20 years old. Even then, there was a mix of national and non-national players at Sukma.
“Personally, I believe national players shouldn’t participate in the Games,” added Yoke Meng, who was formerly BAM’s head coach for the national junior squad.
The badminton competitions at Sukma commenced today in Sibu with the mixed team championships.
As expected, favourites Selangor and the Federal Territories, composed of more than 90% national players, routed their opponents Sabah and Negeri Sembilan 5-0. – August 18, 2024